Recently in class we learned about reconstructed the Spanish Flu, and how many scientists were conflicted over it. Some felt that that my reconstructing the Spanish Flu could potentially put people in danger. Recently a group of scientists decided to place a moratorium on making changes to the human genome that could potentially be inherited. While the two issues are not directly related, they do have several similarities, as both involve concerns about not being able solve any problems that could potentially arise as a result of bioenginering.
The scientists had convened at a meeting called by the United States National Academy of States, the Institute of Medicine, the Royal Society of London, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. While the groups involved cannot punish scientists who do not comply with the decision. However, these institutions are well respected enough that it seems as though the scientific community will follow the decision anyway. Restraints placed on an earlier form genetic manipulation by a similar meeting in 1975 were followed. The authority of the meeting is further bolstered by the agreement of the Chinese scientists who seemed reluctant to halt progress on altering the human genome.
The reason for the new rule comes from a new technology known as Crispr-Cas9. Crispr-Cas9 is revolutionary due to its ability to snip out a piece of DNA and neatly stitch the ends back together. It can even cut out a single base pair form a piece of DNA. One scientist stated that before Crispr he had inject around a millions cells to get a perfect mutation but now he only has to inject about ten. Another advantage of Crispr is its potential for curing diseases. However, there is some debate about whether or not Crispr is a neccesity. While it would be needed to prevent some diseases such as Huntington’s, scientists are doubtful of its usefulness because most inheritable diseases are caused by more than one misplaced gene. Even in cases where there is a single misplaced gene, the problem can typically be solved through in vitro fertilization. Scientists feel that the potential advantages of Crispr do not outweigh the risks that could be brought about by altering the human genome in such a profound way. Despite their concerns, the conference did leave the possibility of modifying human genes in the future and stated that the topic should be revisited at regular intervals.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/science/crispr-cas9-human-genome-editing-moratorium.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/magazine/the-crispr-quandary.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article